Toilet bowl deodorizers



Nov. 16, 1965 N- E. WILSON 3,217,338

TOILET BOWL DEODORIZERS Filed June 15, 1962 c, 2 INVENTOR.

NORMAN E. WILSON ATTORNEY United States Patent Missouri Filed June 15, 1962, Ser. No. 202,848 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-231) This invention relates in general to holders for deodorants, and, more particularly, to an improved type of deodorant normally used in toilet bowls and commodes.

Today, it has become a common practice to employ deodorants such as paradichlorbenzene blocks and cakes of similar material in toilet bowls, and there have been various holders designed to maintain these paradichlorbenzene blocks within the toilet bowl. One of such holders consists of a wire frame which is provided with a clip for holding the frame to the toilet bowl and usually is provided with a pocket for containing the paradichlorbenzene block. In time, however, these wire frames which are constructed of steel will usually rust, leaving unsightly stains on the toilet bowl. There have been certain attempts to coat these wire frame holders in order to prevent the oxidation thereof, but such attempt to date have been ineffective in that the coatings will usually peel or flake off.

A second type of holder presently used is molded from a plastic or synthetic resin material in order to eliminate the problem of oxidation and corrosion. Since paradichlorbenzene and similar deodorant materials are not compatible with most plastics and tend to dissolve the plastics, these holders have again proved somewhat unsuccessful. Furthermore, as the paradichlorbenzene block sublimes, the over-all size of the block will gradually diminish until the block drops off or cracks away from the framework or holder.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl deodorizer which is capable of withstanding the deleterious effects of paradichlorbenzene vapors and similar deodorant cake vapors.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl deodorizer holder of the type stated which is capable of supporting a deodorant cake for a long period of time and will not drop the cake after a portion thereof has evaporated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl deodorizer of the type stated which can be made in a variety of colors and capable of conforming to the general decor of the bathroom.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl deodorizer of the type stated which is relatively economical to manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings (one sheet) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toilet bowl deodorizer frame constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the deodorizer frame; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line '33 of FIG. 2.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a toilet bowl deodorizer frame preferably formed as a single unit from a polyolefin type thermoplastic resin often referred to as a rigid type of linear polyethylene. This thermoplastic resin is characterized by a linear structure having 3,217,338 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 a relatively high density which results from catalytic polymerization of ethylene gas at low pressures, when such reactions employ chromium oxide as a catalyst. The frame A is similar to the frame described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,984,841 and consists of a pair of depending parallel arms 1, 2, which are firmly embedded within a paradichlorbenzene block 3 during the molding of the frame A. The arms 1, 2, are integrally formed with rearwardly extending base protuberances 4, 5, reference being made to FIG. 1, each of which, in turn, merges at its lower end into rearwardly projecting beveled flanges 6, 7, respectively. Integrally formed with the depending arms 1, 2, are relatively thin inwardly extending retaining fingers 8, 9, which terminate in spaced opposed ends 10, 11.

By reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the lower surface of the beveled flanges 6, 7, is flush with the lower surface of the base proturbances 4, 5, and that the base proturberances 4, 5, moreover, are provided with rounded edges at their upper ends. Thus, it can be seen that as the paradichlorbenzene block 3 evaporates to a size which is less than the distance between the two parallel arms 1, 2, the block 3 will still be rigidly maintained by the inwardly extending retaining fingers 8, 9. As the paradichlorbenzene vapors are given off, the block 3 will continuously evaporate to a size where it is rather small and relatively thin. Thus, the block 3 will still be secured between the retaining fingers 8, 9, until it has reached a size which is less than the distance between the spaced opposed ends 10, 11, at which point the block will merely fall into the toilet bowl (not shown).

The arms 1, 2, integrally merge at their upper ends into forwardly projecting angulated ribbed sections 12, 13, and which are integrally formed with a cross-connecting plate 14, the latter of which gives structural rigidity to the arms 1, 2. The cross-connecting plate 14 is integrally formed with a pair of upstanding arms 15, 16, which are, in effect, continuations of the arms 1, 2, the arms 15, 16, being provided with outwardly diverging connecting members 17, 18, which, in turn, merge into rearwardly extending top support bars 19, 20.

The top support bars 19, 20, are integrally formed with diverging connecting members 21, 22, which are, in turn, integrally formed with depending legs 23, 24, respectively, forming part of a U-shaped retaining member 25, the legs 23, 24, being connected by a transversely extending cross-bar 26. The retaining member 25 is somewhat resilient in order to accommodate the upper lip of toilet bowls of various sizes. Thus, the U-shaped retaining member 25 can be flexed outwardly and slipped over the margin rim of a toilet bowl for holding the paradichlorbenzene block 3 in a depending relation within the toilet bowl. By reference to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the legs '23, 24, are provided with grooves 27, 28, for the greater portion of their length and merge with a groove 29 extending along the entire length of the crossbar 26. By means of this construction, it can be seen that the U-shaped retaining member 25 possesses a greater degree of resiliency than the remainder of the frame A and can be flexed without distorting the other members forming part of the frame A.

When the block 3 has been completely evaporated, the frame A can easily be removed from the upper lip of the toilet bowl. A new frame A containing a block of paradichlorbenzene molded therewith is then secured to the margin or lip of the toilet bowl in the manner as described.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the from, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the toilet bowl deodorizer may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A toilet bowl deodorizer comprising a block of compressed paradichlorbenzene, a pair of arms embedded in said block and projecting upwardly therefrom, said arms being rigidly connected intermediate their upwardly projecting ends by a transversely extending integral plate, a proturberance formed on the lower end of each of said arms and having a bottom face substantially co-incident with the bottom of the arm on which it is formed, said protuberance also being embedded within said block, an inwardly extending blade-like finger formed on the lower extremity of each arm substantially co-incident with the bottom face of each of said protuberances for holding said block in a substantially rigid position as it evaporates, said inwardly extending blade-like fingers terminating in spaced opposed ends, flange means formed integrally on each of said protuberances and extending angularly outwardly therefrom with respect to said blade-like members, each of said flange means having beveled edges, top support elements formed with the upper end of the arms above the plate and extending outwardly from said pair of arms, and a hook member formed with said support elements and being capable of flexing with respect to said pair of arms for clamping over a toilet bowl.

2. A toilet bowl deodorizer according to claim 1 in which the pair of arms are formed of linear polyethylene resin.

3. A toilet bowl deodorizer according to claim 1 in which the pair of arms are formed of a polyolefin type thermoplastic material. I

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,011,732 8/1935 Saeks 4231 2,984,841 5/1961 Wilson 423l 3,088,126 5/1963 Klingler 4-213 LEWIS J. LENNY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK H. BRONAUGH, EDWARD V. BENHAM,

Examiners. 

1. A TOILET BOWL DEODORIZER COMPRISING A BLOCK OF COMPRESSED PARADICHLORBENZENE, A PAIR OF ARMS EMBEDDED IN SAID BLOCK AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID ARMS BEING RIGIDLY CONNECTED INTERMEDIATE THEIR UPWARDLY PROJECTING ENDS BY A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING INTEGRAL PLATE, APROTURBERANCE FORMED ON THE LOWER END OF EACH OF SAID ARMS AND HAVING A BOTTOM FACE SUBSTANTIALLY CO-INCIDENT WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE ARM ON WHICH IT IS FORMED, SAID PROTUBERANCE ALSO BEING EMBEDDED WITHIN SAID BLOCK, AN INWARDLY EXTENDING BLADE-LIKE FINGER FORMED ON THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF EACH ARM SUBSTANTIALLY CO-INCIDENT WITH THE BOTTOM FACE OF EACH OF SAID PROTUBERANCES FOR HOLDING SAID BLOCK IN A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID POSITION AS IT EVAPORATES, SAID INWARDLY EXTENDING BLADE-LIKE FINGERS TERMINAT- 